The Lexus IS 350 F SPORT participated in the 2014 edition of the Car & Driver Lightning Lap, and performed quite well:
Finally, a world-class sports sedan from Lexus.
Its weakness here is power, or lack of it, relative to weight. With 12.2 pounds for each one of its 306 quiet, Camry-hum horsepower (alas, it’s still a Toyota), it is the only LL2-class car with LL1 stats. It could also use a little more grip, as the 0.89-g Turn One cornering force lands it fifth from the bottom in the overall ranking.
Power and grip are two items that are easy to fix, however; core structural and chassis competence aren’t. And it’s these that the IS350 gets so right.
The IS 350 F SPORT ended up finishing 21st overall, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of considering the competition.
One interesting fact — the IS F SPORT’s Virginia International Raceway lap time of 3:13.4 was actually faster than the 2008 IS F, and only .2 seconds shy of the BMW 335i test last year.
(You can also watch video from the IS 350 F SPORT lap on the Car & Driver website.)
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